Thursday, February 17, 2011

One of the elements important to seasonal design is being true to where you are at the time… both figuratively & literally.Inhabitants in areas that experience serious winters know what to expect after the frost first appears, and actually adopt nature’s chilly characteristics into their lives.They have learned to embrace the iciness!

Many cities in the northern United States and Canada celebrate the season with festive carnivals.Having grown up in Michigan, I have personal experience with two such events, albeit fairly humble ones. My parents and I had a cottage located near Houghton Lake, which is the largest inland lake in Michigan.Each year the town holds a festival on the frozen lake called “Tip Up Town,” in reference to the device that indicates above the ice that you indeed have a catch below ice.We were never into fishing, but we did enjoy being able to drive, walk and even dine (if dining includes a steaming bowl of chili and piping hot chocolate!) on a huge expanse of ice!

Tip Up Town, Houghton Lake, Michigan; google images

When I first went away to college, I really went AWAY to college… 550 miles from my home in the suburbs of Detroit… to Michigan Tech in Houghton, on the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.Suffice it to say that Houghton gets a lot of snow, and MTU’s mascot is a Husky for a reason!The major event of the year at Tech is Winter Carnival, which includes such revelry as the crowning of a Carnival Queen.But the big deal is the creation of bigger-than-life ice sculptures… as you can imagine, working with hoses gushing with water when it is zero degrees outside is not for the un-hearty souls!Each year the Carnival has a theme which inspires the student groups to design unique and hopefully winning sculptures in the competition.

Delta Sigma Phi won 2nd Place this year with "Harry the Wizard Fights in a Blizzard"

So, what does all this have to do with interior design?Well, design often imitates environment, and the crystalline ambiance of an icy Winter Carnival translates beautifully into a stunning interior space.

I am certainly not implying that you would change out your chandelier each season! However, if you live in the north country, or simply love a wintry aesthetic, a chandelier can truly exemplify iciness...

Celebrate Summer

June 21 - September 22, 2017

About Me...

I’m an interior designer who emphasizes the qualities of the design that reflect the person, place and point in time that it envelopes. I don’t believe that a space is just a stage set that is created and never changed or updated. Your space should relate to who you are, where you are in your life, and change with the seasons. I have studied, and taught, interior design and architectural history and am fascinated with how a home speaks to its era and inhabitants. I love color, and what a difference it makes to paint a room your favorite hue verses leaving it beige (unless of course you truly love beige!) And most of all, I imagine that as the days, months and seasons evolve, your environment should too. Every decorating style and color palette can be enhanced with reflections of the season. Design 4 Seasons is where I will share my thoughts, ideas and finds on how to live beautifully in the moment! All my best, Katherine